Guest Blog by Alliy Sahagun, Gunnison County Electric Association
When Gunnison High School student and Gunnison County Electric Association (GCEA) member Paden Davis was assigned to select a project for his environmental science class, he knew he wanted to work on an assignment that would have lasting effects beyond the classroom and his grade.
Following the HEART Force (Hazard Education, Awareness, and Resilience Task Force) curriculum, Gunnison High School science teacher Krystal Brown introduced students to action-oriented educational opportunities and invited several community collaborators into the classroom to discuss wildfire resiliency-related topics.
After visiting with long-time Red Cross volunteer Arden Anderson, Paden felt inspired by the class’s discussion on the growing need for communities to become more resilient through education, preparation, and planning. As an avid outdoorsman interested in the environment, Paden chose to focus his resiliency project on educating and protecting our local agriculture community.
Mr. Anderson encouraged Paden to connect with Hannah Cranor Kersting, the County Director and Agriculture Agent at the Colorado State University Extension Office. Hannah further connected Paden with Dan Frazen, Agriculture Emergency Coordinator for the State of Colorado Department of Agriculture. Frazen was delighted by Paden’s enthusiasm for the project and explained the need to share information through social media to educate the agriculture community about topics like vegetation management, farm preparedness, wildfire mitigation, and livestock preparedness. Paden quickly accepted the assignment and, together with Ms. Brown, created the Colorado Ag Resilience Network project funded by HEART Force and the RISE Challenge Colorado.
The project aims to “provide information and resources to landowners, farmers, and ranchers in Colorado from the Department of Agriculture to share preparedness, mitigation, and recovery strategies.” So far, Paden has created an Instagram account to share severe weather warnings and preparedness tips. He plans to involve students in Mr. Scott Nordberg’s high school ag classes to share project information and influence their social circles to grow project awareness and following.
As Paden has become acquainted with members of the ag community, he has been impressed by how well-connected and supportive they are.
“Through the Colorado Ag Resilience Network, I would like to further the connection with more community members. So much information deserves to be shared, but there are limited resources to do so. If I can grow a network of students to promote these efforts, my time on this project will have been well spent,” Paden notes.
Hopefully, Mr. Nordberg’s classes will be integral to continuing this project.
On the horizon, Ms. Brown, Paden, and other Gunnison High School science students will attend the Colorado Youth Climate Summit held in Carbondale at the beginning of May. While there, Paden plans to share with summit participants how they can be involved in the project by spreading the word in their communities. Ms. Brown is excited for her group to interact with other students from around the state and to have the opportunity to continue learning from industry professionals.
“Bringing students together with community professionals creates an exciting, collaborative process, elevating the learning experience and providing a pathway for professionals to impart their knowledge to the rising generation to help guide their creative ideas,” said Ms. Brown.
Resiliency depends on a wide network of individuals working together. With the continued success of the Colorado Ag Resilience Network, Paden and others will keep that collaborative spirit alive.
Pictured: Gunnison High School science teacher Krystal Brown with student Paden Davis.
To receive updates and preparedness tips from the Colorado Ag Resilience Network, follow @coagresilience on Instagram.